1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to an animal restraining system and more particularly to a harness for a dog or like animal.
2. Background Art
It is typical that owners of large or strong animals have dealt with the stress and aggravation of the animal pulling excessively while being walked on a leash. Even worse is that owners of small stature typically have a difficult, if not impossible, task of maintaining control over the animal, which makes walking the animal dangerous and extremely stressful. This excessive pulling or tugging can create pain or discomfort for both the pet owner as well as the animal and can result in permanent muscle or ligament damage.
Prior art harnesses that discourage pulling or tugging behavior include choke collars or prong collars that work by squeezing the neck of the animal when the animal pulls, thereby inflicting discomfort or pain. These devices are viewed as inhumane by many and are ineffective at reducing the pulling force felt at the leash when the animal pulls excessively.
Other prior art harnesses, such as those that have straps that wrap underneath the armpits and over the top of the back of the animal, discourage pulling or tugging by imposing discomfort or pain by squeezing around the back and in the armpits of the animal when the animal pulls excessively. Designs such as these still operate under the principal of applying pain in order to discourage the tugging or pulling behavior. These designs are ineffective at reducing the pulling force felt at the leash when the animal pulls excessively.
Prior art harnesses also include those that are applied to the head of the animal and work by pulling the head back as the animal attempts to pull excessively. These designs are more effective at reducing the pulling force felt at the leash but create problems of extreme discomfort for the animal. They also give the impression to others that the animal is wearing a muzzle and may therefore be dangerous.
Prior art harnesses that have the leash connection in the front or chest of the animal are intended to work by turning the animal sideways when the animal attempts to pull excessively. These designs may be somewhat effective at reducing the pulling force felt at the leash, but they are dependent on proper adjustment and fit on the animal and rely on some training with the animal in order to provide some benefit in force reduction. In addition, the “martingale” collar design actually imposes discomfort in the faint of squeezing to help discourage the animal from pulling or tugging.
Prior art harnesses that target the front legs of the animal work by using the animal's own pulling force against the front legs. This method is effective at consistently reducing the pulling force felt at the leash when the animal pulls. However, these prior art harnesses are complex in design, making fitting and operation difficult. Moreover, part of the harness must be maintained in the correct position across the front of the animal's front legs in order to remain effective.
In addition to pulling, some owners experience problems keeping their animal from jumping onto people or out of yards, or keeping the animal's activity level to a minimum when, for example, the animal is recuperating from an injury. This behavior can present a danger to people who come in contact with the animal, as well as a danger to the animal itself if it has recently undergone surgery and has not fully healed.
Finally, some prior art harnesses connect leg straps around the animal's hind legs and underneath the animal to around the animal's neck. These type of harnesses work by limiting the range of motion of the animal. These designs are suboptimal in that they either do not fully prevent the animal from jumping and are overly-sensitive to proper fitting.
Accordingly, what is needed is a harness that is effective at both reducing the pulling force felt at the leash and preventing the animal from jumping or running, that is not overly dependent on proper fitting or animal training, that does not impose pain or discomfort of the animal, and that is aesthetically pleasing and easy to use.
3. Identification of Objects of the Invention
A primary object of the invention is to provide a harness that is effective in both reducing the pulling force felt at the leash and preventing the animal from jumping.
Another object of the invention is to provide a harness having a modular construction that allows either a no-pull function or a no-jump/run function to be implemented.
Another object of the invention is to provide a harness that reduces the pulling force felt at the leash by transferring pulling force to the front legs of the animal at each leg independently.
Another object of the invention is to provide a harness that is adjustable for fitting animals of different sizes.
Another object of the invention is to provide a harness that imposes no squeezing pressure, choking, or discomfort to the animal to dissuade pulling but operates by a counteracting force directed at the front legs of the animal to prevent the animal from striding or extending its legs forward.
Another object of the invention is to provide a harness that enables an immediate reduction in pulling force felt at the leash without oversensitivity to fitting adjustment and animal training.
Another object of the invention is to provide a harness that provides a comfortable fit to the animal by the use of strap adjusters.
Another object of the invention is to provide a modular animal harness with removable no-pull and no-jump/run modules.
Another object of the invention is to provide a harness that prevents jumping and running of the animal by limiting the range of motion of the animal's front legs in relation to its hind legs.
Another object of the invention is to provide a harness that allows for adjustment of the no jump/run module to the desired range of motion of the animal to balance between preventing the animal from jumping or running and general comfort.
Another object of the invention is to provide a harness that keeps the no-jump/run module in place up and around the hind legs when the animal is sitting by using an elastic back strap.